Robertson: Report shows Government's Olympics budget gave 'an unrealistic picture of expected costs'

Hugh responds to a recent report on the Olympics budget.

Commenting on the Public Accounts Committee report into the Olympics budget, Shadow Olympics Minister, Hugh Robertson said:

“This report is a scathing indictment of the way the original Olympic budget was drawn up by Tessa Jowell and Ken Livingstone and signed off by Gordon Brown as Chancellor.

“As the very first Conclusion and Recommendation in the Report makes clear, 'Foreseeable requirements were excluded...giving an unrealistic picture of the expected costs' and it was on this basis that the Government both bid for the Games and took the necessary legislation through Parliament.”

He added, “It is also clear from the Report that nearly three years after we won the bid, much of the promised legacy remains uncosted and unplanned. In particular, no progress has been made on the commitment to increase sports participation - mainly because the raid on the lottery to pay for budget overruns has used up the obvious source of funding.”